The Semi-Slav defense (1.d4 d5 followed by ...e7-e6 and ...c7-c6) is one of the most popular opening set-ups for Black. Black can follow two entirely different concepts. One includes an early ...Ng8-f6 and leads to a number of popular and deeply analysed systems: the Meran, the Anti-Meran, the Botvinnik, the Moscow, the Anti- Moscow, the Westphalian, etc. The other, in which Black refrains from ...Ng8-f6 at an early stage, is presented by GM Michal Krasenkow on this DVD. Black keeps a choice between two double-edged interesting systems: the Noteboom variation (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4) and the Stonewall (...f7-f5) if White plays an early e2-e3. Of course Black’s decision to refrain from an early ...Ng8-f6 gives White other options, the most important being the Slav gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 etc.). Therefore Black’s set-up may lead to a whole range of different and interesting positions, which help the black player to broaden his strategic and tactical understanding. This makes the Noteboom/Stonewall opening repertoire a particularly good choice for young, aspiring players.

Single-processor engines are a thing of the past – that's why the new Fritz comes as a powerful multi-processor version right from the word go. Deep Fritz 14 features a 64-bit engine, and, like its predecessor, can support up to eight processor cores simultaneously. That's where the similarities end, however, as the engine itself has been completely redesigned and packs almost 100 Elo points more than the previous version, putting Deep Fritz 14 amongst the strongest chess programs in the world.

Optimized for Windows 8.1: With its novel 64-bit program interface, Deep Fritz 14 runs faster and flows better on the latest versions of Windows. Naturally, the new version retains all of the well-known playing, training and analysis functions that made Fritz the most popular chess program in the world.

FM Valeri Lilov, co-founder of Tiger Lilov’s Chess School and TigerLilov.com, is a top-notch professional chess coach popular with all of the major online communities promoting the game of chess. His balanced style of play and constant striving for improvement have both shaped his deep knowledge and understanding of chess theory, which he is about to demonstrate to you in his latest high quality DVD for ChessBase.

This DVD by Lubomir Ftacnik deals with the Hedgehog structure and its phenomenal potential for generating active counterplay with Black. The appeal of elastic piece development around a dynamic pawn structure has helped to spread this concept to many other openings. The author has consciously limited his survey to the English Hedgehog with an emphasis on the challenges Black faces following the centralisation of White’s queen after 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4. While Black will have to survive various challenges to his position, as the aggressor enjoys a slight advantage in development and has great freedom of movement for his pieces, once the defender manages to fend off direct aggression, his prospects are usually quite promising.

Some of the most interesting lines in the King’s Gambit starting with 3 Nf3, especially concentrating ‘on the refutation of the King’s Gambit (Fisher)’ 3...g5. I have given the reader a full repertoire, that they can play with 3 Nf3, so all lines are covered. We also briefly look at the crazy 3 Be2 3 d4 and 3 Nc3.

The Sicilian Tajmanov-Scheveningen - Alejandro Ramirez A Safe Path Through the Sicilian Jungle

Catalog Code: WIN0425CB

The Sicilian has been known for decades as the most reliable way for Black to obtain an unbalanced but good position. Among the most popular Sicilians at the top level the two that certainly stand out are the Najdorf and the Paulsen. Unlike the Najdorf, the Paulsen provides a safer and more positionally based way of fighting against 1.e4. Black is able to obtain adequate counterplay in all variations without going for a do-or-die type of attack.

This DVD looks at the most important and most frequent tactical themes and sacrifices in the Sicilian Najdorf. Grandmaster Niclas Huschenbeth shows us the typical tactical ideas for both White and Black along with the criteria that need to be met for a particular sacrifice to work in this opening in several demonstrative games.

POWER PLAY - A Repertoire for Black Against the Anti-Sicilians - Daniel King

Catalog Code: WIN0418CB

Accept the Morra Gambit with confidence. Tame the Grand Prix Attack. Put fear into the heart of every tedious 2 c3 player. You can make 1...c5 a dangerous weapon whether it’s an open or closed Sicilian.

Lubomir Ftacnik complements his popular Scheveningen DVD with fresh material for training tactical themes. The world’s most popular opening, the Sicilian defense (played in more than 50% of all games!) rises and falls with attack, fantasy and combinations. The ability to spot a tactical opportunity, calculate variations and choose the best line decides the game in sharp Sicilian positions and, even on its own, is a skill worth having.

The flank attack is one of those sneaky ways of surrounding your opponent's forces and getting to your target fast! So, do we really need to master flank attacks to use them or protect ourselves from them effectively? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Fighting Against the Caro-Kann with the Advance Variation - Victor Bologan A Repertoire for White

Catalog Code: WIN0424CB

The Caro-Kann Defence is one of the most solid replies for Black after 1.e4. I’ve played it myself for many years with black, so I know how difficult is to gain an advantage with white. My choice of the Advance Variation for White is because of the complex strategical play in which White has a long-term space advantage. - Victor Bologan

The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black’s position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable - up to the highest level.

Is there an absolute truth in a flexible opening such as the Pirc Defense? After I had played and studied the Pirc intensively for more than ten years I was sure I had found the best move order against each White system. Then I stopped playing the opening for a while and when I checked new ideas I realized that things were not that simple. Thus, the repertoire I recommend on this DVD is a combination of good lines in my old repertoire that have stood the test of time and new lines inspired by my fresh look at the Pirc. When playing the Pirc one must know what to do against White‘s attacking systems.

Is there an absolute truth in a flexible opening such as the Pirc Defense? After I had played and studied the Pirc intensively for more than ten years I was sure I had found the best move order against each White system. Then I stopped playing the opening for a while and when I checked new ideas I realized that things were not that simple. Thus, the repertoire I recommend on this DVD is a combination of good lines in my old repertoire that have stood the test of time and new lines inspired by my fresh look at the Pirc.

In the 1970s a group of strong English players (Miles, Speelman, Keene above all and later Short) developed a slightly unusual opening starting after the moves 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6. Just like in the Grünfeld or the Alekhine Defences, Black concedes the centre. However, rather than provoking pawn advances by an early development of the knights, Black wants instead to develop his bishops (most frequently to the squares b7 and b4). This approach contradicts the orthodox rule of development (knights before bishops) but is not it better to get some pieces out instead of spending a lot of tempi with the knight in provocation?! The original character of the play as well as the good preparation by the aforementioned grandmasters led to the recognition of this setup as the English Defence.

The onus is typically on the player with the Isolated Queen’s Pawn to find dynamic resources that compensate their structural weakness. The aim of this DVD is to offer the viewer tactical exercises that also illustrate the attacking prospects within IQP positions, and as the ensuing positions can arise from so many different openings, the content of the DVD emphasizes the importance of understanding this type of pawn structure.

Andrew Martin: The wicked Veresov Attack A tricky Opening with 1.d4 The Veresov ( 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5) is little-played and understood when we compare it to other queen’s pawn openings, like the Trompowsky, Torre Attack and London system. As such it can be a very dangerous weapon in the right hands. Very few club or amateur players will be properly prepared to play against it.

On this DVD, Mihail Marin presents the major tactical themes and options available for both sides in the Benoni. Based on an interactive format, which prompts users to solve a range of training questions by inputting moves, the well-known theoretician and Grandmaster invites you to take part and challenge yourself with a training course aimed at delivering a structured, intensive and systematic approach to learning the key positions in the Benoni as well as knowledge of a number of the defence’s tactical finesses.

The Nimzo-Indian, the Gruenfeld and the King’s Indian Defence are three incredibly uncomfortable defences to meet. This hypermodern DVD gives new ideas on how to squash these setups with sound, positional play based on double fianchetto systems. This DVD focuses on the move 1.Nf3 and covers the necessary variations to meet Black’s most popular systems, including the ones listed above as well as the Slav and Catalan/Orthodox type setups. White steers away from mainstream theory while still being on the aggressive side and causing Black problems from the beginning.

The Scotch has long been associated with exciting play, although people often doubt it’s positional base. But the opening has evolved from the swashbuckling games of the 19th century to become a sound, but aggressive, alternative to the evergreen Spanish. In his first Fritz-Trainer DVD, Parimarjan Negi looks at the latest revolution in Scotch theory that has completely changed white’s plans, and once again brought back the interest of the world’s elite. Negi presents not only the white strategies in detail but also outlines a dynamic way for Black to counter this latest trend.

HIARCS Chess Explorer is a superb new chess database, analysis and playing program for either PC Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. It offers a truly innovative and intuitive new graphical user interface together with the reigning World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine. This unique combination is refreshingly easy to use and includes many unique new features for managing chess databases, chess preparation, analysis and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmaster.

HIARCS Chess Explorer is a superb new chess database, analysis and playing program for either PC Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. It offers a truly innovative and intuitive new graphical user interface together with the reigning World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine. This unique combination is refreshingly easy to use and includes many unique new features for managing chess databases, chess preparation, analysis and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmaster.

Komodo is a chess program that is different from the rest. Its search makes greater use of extensions than any other top engine, which allows Komodo to often see deeper than any other engine, even if it is displaying a slightly lower search depth. The evaluation differs from its main rivals because it represents a blend of both automated tuning and the judgment of a grandmaster and computer expert (Larry Kaufman). Fully automated evaluations are subject to rather large sample error, and applying some chess judgment appears to be beneficial, both in results and in the reasonableness of reported evaluations.

Even less-experienced chess players have learnt how to develop their pieces in the opening or even know certain opening variations by heart. But when the middlegame starts, they don’t know how to judge positions and develop their play – and their chess stagnates.

First Steps in Endgames introduces a framework, which will assist club players to become better at chess. It is particularly suitable for players under 1600 or young players wishing to make a mark. Key ideas are presented to guide the student in the right direction. If you wish to become a strong chess player, you must study the endgame. It really is as simple as that.

In chess, like in real life, one frequently faces temptations: to grab a pawn, to occupy an open file, to start a kingside attack and so on. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with all these ideas, but before undertaking such concrete actions, one should be sure the position is ripe for it.

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